How to Get EU Citizenship

Citizenship in the European Union (EU) comes with the ability to work, travel, or study anywhere in the EU without a visa. The road towards citizenship can take several years. To receive EU citizenship, you must actually apply for citizenship in an EU country. The process for citizenship varies from country to country. In general, you will need to live in the country for a certain number of years, gather proof of your eligibility to be a citizen, and submit an application. Citizenship tests, language tests, and an application fee may also be required. If you have already been living in an EU country for a while, however, you may have a strong chance at getting citizenship.

Meeting the Requirements

Establish residency in an EU country. If you are not already living in an EU country, you will need to move to one to become a resident. Immigrating is a very serious and expensive decision that will require you to apply for a visa, find a job, learn a new language, and remain in the country for several years.

There are 28 countries in the EU. Becoming a citizen of any one of them will grant you EU citizenship. Each has different requirements for becoming a citizen, however.

Remember that not all countries in Europe belong to the EU. Moving to Norway, Macedonia, or Switzerland will not help you gain EU citizenship.

Keep in mind that the UK is currently in the process of leaving the EU. If you apply for British citizenship, you may not have EU citizenship permanently.

Determine how long you must live in the country to become a citizen. Most countries require that you live there for at least 5 years, although some may have longer residency requirements. Look up how long you will have to live in your desired country before applying for citizenship.

For example, you must live in Germany for 8 years to get a passport. In France, you only need to be a resident for 5 years.

Consider your spouse’s citizenship. If your spouse is a citizen of an EU country, you may be able to apply for citizenship through them. Depending on where they have citizenship, marriage to an EU citizen might shorten the amount of time you need to live in the country before applying for citizenship.

In Sweden, you normally need to live in the country for 5 years before applying for citizenship. If you are married or in a registered partnership with a Swedish citizen, however, you only need to live there for 3 years.

Learn the language of the country you are living in. Many EU countries have language requirements before you can apply for citizenship. Some may require you to take a language course while others ask you to complete a basic language test. Countries with language requirements or tests include:

Hungary

Germany

Latvia

Romania

Denmark

Check to see if you have ancestry in any EU countries. Some EU countries will allow the children or grandchildren of citizens become a citizen themselves, even if they do not live in the country themselves. These laws are called jus sanguinis (or right by blood).

Ireland, Italy, and Greece will give citizenship to children and grandchildren of citizens. Hungary includes great-grandchildren.

In Germany and the UK, you can only get citizenship this way if your parents were citizens.

Some countries will have requirements on when your ancestor left the country. For example, in Poland, you can get citizenship if your ancestor left after 1951 while in Spain, your ancestors must have left between 1936 and 1955.

Applying for Citizenship

Gather your documents. Make copies of the important documents. Do not submit the original document. While the exact requirements may vary from country to country, in general, you will need:

A copy of your birth certificate

A copy of your current passport

Proof of residency, such as job records, bank statements, travel records, or official mail with your address on it.

Proof of employment, such as a signed statement from your employer. If you’re retired or self-employed, show financial records to demonstrate that you are financially stable.

If you are married to a citizen of the country, you will need proof of the marriage, such as a marriage certificate, birth certificates of any children, and family photos.

Fill out the application. This application is typically available on the website of the country’s department of immigration. Read through the application carefully before filling it out. While the application is different in every country, you may need to state:

Your full name

Current and previous addresses

Date of birth

Current citizenship

Education

How long you have been a resident in the country

Details about your family, including your parents, spouse, and children.

Pay the application fee. You may have to pay for the application to be processed. These fees can wary widely. Some examples of application fees include:

Ireland: €175

Germany: €255

Sweden: 1,500 SEK

Spain: €60-100

Take the citizenship test. A citizenship test shows that you are knowledgeable about the country’s customs, language, laws, history, and culture. These tests are short, but they are required in many EU countries.

For example, in Germany, you will be asked 33 questions about German history, law, and culture. You must answer at least 17 correctly.

This test will usually be given in the country’s official language.

Attend a hearing or interview if requested. In some countries, you must be interviewed by a judge or the police before you can receive citizenship. After you fill out your application, you will receive notification of the date and place of your hearing.

Go to the citizenship ceremony. Most countries have a ceremony for new citizens. At this ceremony, citizens sworn in. You may receive a certificate of naturalization, proving your new citizenship. Once you have citizenship in an EU country, you are automatically an EU citizen.

You will usually hear back about whether you have received citizenship within 3 months of your application. Some countries may take much longer, however.

These ceremonies may take place in big cities or capitols.

Attendance at this ceremony is usually required for you to receive citizenship.

Improving Your Application

Avoid leaving the country for long stretches of time. Your residency in the country must usually be continuous. This means that you must live only in that country for a specified amount of time. If you leave the country for longer than a few weeks a year, you may no longer be eligible for citizenship.

For example, in France, if you leave for more than 6 months, you may become ineligible for citizenship.

Increase your yearly salary. Most countries will not give you citizenship unless you make a certain amount of money. Some may request proof that you are employed in the country. If you are married and do not work, you may need to provide details of your spouse's job instead.

For example, in Denmark, you must prove that you are able to support yourself and your family without relying on any public assistance, such as housing or welfare.

If you are a student, the requirements may vary. You may need to graduate and get a full-time job before you become eligible.

Buy property in the country you are living in. If you own a house or land in the country to which you are applying for citizenship, you may have a better case. In some countries, such as Greece, Latvia, Portugal, and Cyprus, you can earn the right to citizenship just by owning a certain amount of property.

Tips

Many countries, such as Cyprus and Austria will let you earn citizenship by investing money in the government, but these usually require at least a million euros of investment.

The laws vary widely from country to country when it comes to citizenship. Make sure to research and read the laws of the country to which you want citizenship.

Dual citizenship with an EU country will also grant you an EU citizenship.

Once you gain citizenship in Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Latvia, or Lithuania, you will be required to renounce your previous citizenship.

Warnings

If you have any criminal activity on your record, you may be denied citizenship.